Airbus Establishes UK Hydrogen Technology Centre to Support ZEROe Aircraft Plan

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June 7, 2022

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by Tony Harrington (GreenAir Online) Airbus has taken another significant step towards the introduction of its proposed ZEROe passenger aircraft by 2035 by establishing a Zero Emission Development Centre (ZEDC) for hydrogen technologies at its Filton, UK, facility. A priority of the centre, which has just commenced technology development, will be to come up with a cost-competitive cryogenic fuel system for zero-emission passenger aircraft, while simultaneously strengthening UK skills and expertise in hydrogen propulsion. Activation of the new ZEDC follows the recent formation of a partnership between Airbus and engine manufacturer CFM International, which will use a modified Airbus A380 as a testbed for hydrogen fuel trials from 2026. Airbus has also forged industrial partnerships in markets including Singapore, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Australia to research air and ground requirements necessary for hydrogen-powered aircraft, reports Tony Harrington.

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Earlier this year, Airbus and CFM International, a 50/50 company of GE and Safran Aircraft Engines, announced a partnership in which Airbus will equip an A380 super jumbo with liquid hydrogen tanks, and oversee flight testing with the new fuel, while CFM will modify the combustor, fuel system and control system of a GE Passport turbofan engine to operate on hydrogen, attaching the converted powerplant to the rear fuselage of the test plane to assess engine emissions, including contrails, separately from the engines powering the plane.

Airbus has since signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Australian renewable energy company Fortescue Future Industries to investigate the use of liquid hydrogen and power-to-liquid fuels for aviation, scenarios for hydrogen demand in air transport, refuelling specifications, and the regulatory framework governing the new fuel, further progressing its plans to introduce zero-emission hydrogen powered aircraft into commercial service by 2035. READ MORE

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